Adjustable hinge construction



Nov. 22, 1955 3. H. LOHRMAN ADJUSTABLE HINGE CONSTRUCTION Filed March 4, 19525 M m m m 54492220 [flak/mam,

Unite States Patent ADJUSTABLE HINGE CONSTRUCTION Gustav H. Lohrman, St. Charles, Mo., assignor to Standard Railway Equipment Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application March 4, 1953, Serial No. 340,186

11 Claims. (Cl. 16-129) This invention relates to hinge constructions, and is more especially concerned with hinges applied to hatch assemblies such as those employed on covered railway hopper cars and the like.

During recent years it has become the practice to ship dry materials, such as flour, in bulk in railway hopper cars, which has necessitated rendering the hatches of such cars weather-tight. Within the usual tolerances of railway shop practice, it has not been possible to rely, with the degree of certainty necessary, upon the size, shape and disposition of the parts entering into the hinges for the hatches of such cars to secure the requisite degree of weather-proofness.

The present invention is directed toward providing a hinge between the cover for the hatch opening and the hatch frame which may be made with the same casual regard toward tolerances customary in railway car construction, but which will afford certain features of adjustment to compensate for slack in the hinge element, so that any hatch cover may be drawn into weather-tight engagement with the hatch frame without materially changing the familiar features of construction, assembly and function which have heretofore characterized hatch hinges of the type in question.

It is a primary object, therefore, of the present invention to provide an improved hinge with a hinge pin having a cam which will, upon being turned, draw the cover into tight engagement with the hatch frame, usually with the interpositioning of a gasket member therebetween.

It is another object of the invention to provide for the cam movement of the cover in directions toward and away from the hatch frame without disturbing the lateral placement of the cover with respect thereto.

It is a further object to provide an improved hinge of the class described which will embody readily available materials and which can be installed by unskilled labor without exacting manufacturing tolerances or technique beyond those currently encountered.

With these objects and advantages in view, and others which will appear hereinafter, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a hinge embodying one form of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken along line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the hinge construction shown in Figures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken along line 44 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 shows one form of hinge pin constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, the invention is illustrated as applied to a hatch frame against which the roof 11 of a railroad car is adapted to be welded in a weather-tight manner.

The hatch frame at its upper end is formed outwardly and over as at 12 to provide a rounded cover seat 14 around the top edge of the hatch frame. The hinge construction, two or more of which may be embodied in each hatch and cover assembly, comprises a hinge butt 16 which has a flanged base portion 18 perforated to receive rivets 20, by which the hinge butt is secured to the outer face of the hatch frame. Two or more elements of this kind may be secured in proper alignment as the weight and disposition of the cover may require.

Each hinge butt is formed with a pair of spaced coaxial bearings 22 and 24, which are integrally formed with the base flange portion 18 and reinforced with respect thereto by ribs 26. The bearings 22 and 24 have coaxial apertures defining bearing seats 28 and 30, respectively. One of these bearings (as illustrated in the drawings by way of example, the right-hand bearing) has its bearing seat 30 formed into a relatively large elongated bore, the major axis of which extends horizontally as viewed in Figure 2. This elongated bore 30 extends partially through the bearing 24 in coaxial relation to the opposed bearing 22, which has a smaller elongated bore 28 oriented to agree with that of the bearing seat 30. The smaller elongated bore 28 terminates intermediately of the bearing in an axial direction in an enlarged elongated bore 32 which agrees in size, shape and orientation with the opposed bearing seat 33. The difference in the size of the bearing seat 28 and the enlarged bore, 32, into which it opens inwardly of the bearing assembly, provides a shoulder 34, effective as an axial thrust bearing for the hinge pin, as will later be described.

An intermediate bearing 36, which usually comprises the familiar strap hinge element in hinges of this character, is joined by an extension 38 to a cover plate 40. The intermediate bearing 36 has a cylindrical bore which aligns with the bearings 22 and 24, as will later appear.

A hinge pin, constructed preferably as shown in Figure 5, is provided with a large concentric journal portion 42 which is adapted to seat in the bore 30 of the bearing 24, and which has a diametric dimension equal to the shorter axis of the bore 30, and a smaller concentric journal 44 which is adapted to be accommodated in the bore 28 of the bearing 22 in a manner corresponding to the larger journal 42 just described.

These concentric cylindrical journals are connectedby an intermediate eccentric cam cylinder 46, which is of a diametric dimension intermediate the size of the larger journal 42 and the lesser journal 44. The larger journal end of the pin is provided with a hex-head or other suitable wrench-engaging terminus 48, and at its smaller end is provided with screw-threading 50 for the engagement of a lock-nut 52, as will presently appear.

The dimensions of the three cylindrical parts of the pin are such that the circle of the cam portion 46, regarded in right section, is completely contained within the circle of the larger cylindrical journal 42 when similarly regarded. Furthermore, the circle of the smaller cylindrical journal is completely contained within the circle of the cam cylinder 46 when viewed in right section. This provides a pin, the maximum diametric dimension of which is determined by the large cylindrical journal portion 42, whereby it is possible to insert the pin through the bearing 24 and across through the intermediate hearing 36 into the bearing 22 without difliculty.

The pin may be inserted in this manner and moved axially until the end 54 of the cam cylinder abuts the shoulder 34 in the bearing 22, at which point its axial movement is arrested. When so positioned, the larger cylindrical journal 4-2 is at least partially seated within the bearing seat 3t) of the bearing 24, and the lesser cylindrical journal 44 is similarly disposed. within the bearing seat 28 of the bearing 22. In the latter case, however, the threaded portion 50 of the lesser cylindrical journal projects outwardly from the bearing 22, so that the nut 52 can be engaged thereupon to assist in drawing the stepped portion 54 of the pin into binding engagement with the shoulder 34 in the bearing 22, thus to lock the parts in any selected position.

The intermediate bearing 36 is provided with a cylindrical bore which defines a bearing seat of a size to conform to the cylindrical cam portion 46 of the hinge pin. With the nut 52 loosened, a wrench may be applied to the hex-head 48 and the pin then turned to cause the eccentric cam portion to move the intermediate bearing 36 with respect to the butt hinge bearings 22 and 2 However, in this respect, it should be noted that journals 42 and 44 of the hinge pin are free to move in a horizontal direction, as viewed in Figure 2, by virtue of the elongated shape of their hearing seats. Also it should be noted that the ends of the earn as extend within the vertically elongated bores 32 and 33, and, therefore, cam 46 when rotated can only move we 5y. ""hus, any tendency for the cam to move the intermediate hea ing and its attached cover ill in lateral directions is prevented. On the other hand, since the l er a .l dimension of the bearing seats 32 and 33 (w are disposed substantially in the horizontal as shown the drawings) agrees substantially with the diametric dimension of the eccentric journal portion as of the hinge pin, the pin is held against movement in horizo tal directions, c1 s ng the intermediate bearing 36, and hence the associated cover 45), to be moved upwardly dot-vnwardly with respect to the hinge butts and the hatch frame The hinge butts are positioned with respect to the hatch frame, and the strap hingeterminating in the intermediate bearing 36 associated with the cover is formed, to give as tight a lit of cover to hatch as is possible within the normal shop tolerances of railway car construction. A gasket 56 is interposed between the confronting por tions of the cover and the upper edge l4 of the hatch frame. The hinge pins are put in place and are then turned until the cam portions 56 are in a position to draw the cover into the closest position to the upper edge of the hatch frame as the gasket, which is compressed thereby, will permit. When this position is attained, the locknut 52 is applied tobind and lock the parts in this relationship. It is then desirable to apply tack welds as to the nut on the one hand and to the hinge pin on the other to insure that the parts remain in this relationship. A weatherproof hatch cover seal is thus efiectually provided. It is obvious that the nut may be omitted and the end 59 of the pin tack welded to hearing 22, with equalresults.

It is obvious that the relationship of parts may be reversed to render the intermediate cam portions 46 of the hinge pin the relatively concentric portion, and to dispose the cylindrical journals 42 eccentrically with respect to the central portion, for carrying out the same function. If this were done, of course, the hinge butt bearings and intermediate strap bearing would have to be modified in a corresponding manner.

It is also obvious that a latch construction can be em ployed on the opposite edge of the cover and hatch frame from that on which the hinges are disposed, which could embody the same type or" hinge pin principle here disclosed for drawing the opposite side of the cover into tight gasket compressing relation to the hatch frame.

,hinge element, said hinge elements being pivotally joined by a hinge pin, said first hinge element provided with a pair of elongated bearing seats, the major axes of which are at right angles to each other, said hinge pin having a cylindrical portion concentric to its axis engaging one of said bearing seats and another cylindrical portion eccentric to said axis in engagement with said second hinge element and the other bearing seat, and means on said pin for turning it in relation to said hinge elements and for securing it at the desired setting.

2. The invention of claim 1, in which the bearing in said hinge element which accommodates said concentric cylindrical portion of the hinge pin is elongated with the major axis of the bearing extending substantially parallel to the plane of said cover in closed position, the minor axis of said bearing being substantially equal to the diameter of the cylindrical portion accommodated therein.

3. Tie invention of claim 2, in which the bearing in the said second hinge element which accommodates said eccentric cylindrical portion of the hinge pin is cylindrical and of a e complementary to said portion.

4-. Hinge construction comprising, in combination, a hinge butt having a pair of spaced axially aligned hinge pin bearings, each bearing having a pair of elongated bearing seats, the major axes of which are normal to each other, a hinge strap having a hinge pin bearing disposed between said bearings of the hinge butt and coaxial therewith, a hinge pin having cylindrical concentric journals adjacent its ends engaged in certain seats in the bearing of said hinge butt, the intermediate portion of said pin between said journals constituting an eccentric cylindrical cam, said cam being engaged in other seats in the bearings of said hinge butt and the hinge pin bearing of said strap, and said cam being efiective to move said strap bearing transversely of the hinge pin axis when said pin is turned about its axis.

5. The invention of claim 4, in which said strap bearing is cylindrically conformed to said cam, while the minor axes of said butt bearing seats conform to the diametric dimension of the hinge pin journals, respectively engaged therein.

6. The invention of claim 4, and means to render said hinge pin permanently secure against turning about its axis.

7. The invention of claim 4, wherein said hinge pin extends through and beyond a hinge butt bearing, is screw threaded beyond said bearing, and a nut upon said screw threaded portion to secure the hinge pin against rotation.

8. The invention of claim 7, wherein said hinge pins are rendered permanently secured by tacking said nuts and pins to said bearings by spot welding.

9. Hinge construction comprising a hinge butt having spaced axially aligned hinge pin bearings, each bearing having a pair of elongated bearing seats, the major axes of which are normal to each other, the dilference in orientation of the axes of the bearing seats in each pin bearing defining shoulders eifective as thrust bearings, a hinge pin extending through said butt bearings and having cylindrical concentric journals of different diameters adjacent its ends engaged in certain seats of the butt bearings, the intermediate portion of said pin between said journals constituting an eccentric cylindrical earn, the end marginal portions of said cam portion being engaged in other seats of the butt bearings, the juncture of the ends of the eccentric cam portion with the concentric journals defining collars engaging said thrust bearings, the smaller of said concentric journals extending through and beyond its respective butt bearing, and being screw threaded, and a nut upon said screw threaded portion to draw said pin axially of said butt bearings until said collars engage said thrust bearings.

10. The invention of claim 9, further including an intermediate bearing having a cylindrical seat in substantial conformance with said cam, said intermediate bearing having pivotal movement about said cam with respect to said hinge butt bearings, and being further movable by turning said pin transversely of the axes of said hinge bearings.

11. A hinge butt having a fiat base and a pair 'of axially aligned hinge pin bearings, each bearing having a pair of elongated bearing seats, the major axes of which extend at substantially right angles to each other.

Way Dec. 12, 1916 Jahn -Sept.,24, 1946 

